Topolobampo: Love at First Bite

In the hierarchy of American chefs, few are held in such high esteem as Rick Bayless. With the title of Top Chef Master, his own television show and multiple cookbooks, there's no doubting Bayless's success. But accolades and stardom aside, Bayless's greatest culinary contribution is introducing America to authentic regional Mexican cuisine when he opened Frontera Grill in 1987. Yet it wasn't until two years later when Bayless opened Topolobampo that Mexican food entered into the realm of fine dining, earning a Michelin Star earlier this year.

Brunch Bets: Prime Meats

Rarely, if ever, do I crave steak and eggs for breakfast. But when said steak and eggs are from Prime Meats, I'm easily swayed. Owned and operated by childhood friends Frank Falcinelli and Frank Castronovo (aka "the Franks"), this Carroll Gardens restaurant is perpetually slammed with diners. And for good reason, the food and cocktails are absolutely delicious. Described as a farm-to-table restaurant with German influences, Prime Meats specializes in pre-Prohibition era handcrafted cocktails and hearty alpine cuisine. While dinner remains their specialty, one would be foolish to overlook the solid brunch.

Obtaining My Weekly Meat Injection at Minetta Tavern

A few weeks ago, my meat intake had reached a critical mass. I'd overloaded on Brooklyn deli fare, burgers and other meat-centric foods too numerous to name (I'll stop there, since any itemized list of such intake is bound to make me depressed). In short, I needed a break from these meaty gastronomic pleasures.

Knowing that Steve and I would soon stuff ourselves like kings (or Keith McNally) at Minetta Tavern, I vowed to not eat meat from that Monday until our meal the following Saturday night.

I mostly succeeded.

Living around West Indians, many of whom consider vegan eating to be a way of life, certainly helped-- as did frequent trips to Sahadi's on Atlantic Avenue for a satisfying mix of salads, pita and hummus. And I would also be negligent not to mention how key peanut butter & jelly sandwiches were that week. Sure, I guess I must confess to inadvertently eating a stray chicken nugget while drunk the night before my big dinner-- but other than that (and by my standards), Noah's Mostly Vegetarian Week of 2010 was an utter success.

...A success that was almost completely undone by our meal at Minetta Tavern.

Peter Luger Steakhouse: A Lunch Worthy of Celebration

Peter Luger Steakhouse is more than just a steakhouse, it's a meat institution. Its name graces any list of the best steaks in America and for over 100 years has encompassed what a New York Steakhouse should be. In fact, it has been voted "America's Best Steakhouse" by Zagat Survey for 26 years and counting. Since arriving to the tri-state area I've eaten my fair share of steaks but have yet to try the steakhouse by which every other is compared to. I'm talking of course about Peter Luger and it wasn't until last Friday that I finally had that opportunity. I'm not sure why it had taken me so long before dining here; maybe it's the reservation fiasco, which, unless you are a regular or someone famous are usually limited to 5:30 or 10:30 options. Ok, so I have no legitimate excuse, but that all changed about two weeks ago when I received a letter informing me that I'd finally be admitted to the New York State Bar. A co-worker of mine suggested that I try Luger's for lunch since I'd already be in Brooklyn and would have no reservation problems since it was lunch and not dinner. Since my family could not make the ceremony MW and her sister YW agreed to document my historic achievement by taking lots of pictures in exchange for a meat coma-inducing lunch.